A New Chapter

I don’t think I’ve met one person who is truly excited to go through a move… yes, we work with clients who are excited about their new home but the actual sorting, purging, packing and moving? Nope. Life gets put on hold and suddenly anything that previously resembled a peaceful living space is quickly replaced with a tower of boxes, stacks of packing paper, rolls of tape and Sharpies that are never where you left them.

We were reminded of the chaos when we moved at the end of May. I started the process back in early April with a resolve like never before. I was going to start early, thoughtfully pluck out unused or dated items from our home and carefully pack the items joining us. I numbered each box which then was found on the corresponding spreadsheet where I could easily be reminded of the contents and in what room they should land. I was not going to stress, I was not going to get exhausted and frazzled and by the end of May, it had all unraveled. In desperation, I reached out to a dear friend from church and she called in backup… when I saw them all, I literally wept. They were a gift from above and it was the ultimate act of kindness… months later, I still get choked up. I guess my point is that even with the best intentions and professional movers, we were still trying to get it finished in the 11th hour and needed my Super Hero friends to get us over the finish line. So now it is a few months later and we are settled in but I am once again facing a move. This time it is my Mom.

My Mom & Stepdad lived in Florida for many years and after a long battle with cancer, my dear Stepdad Skip passed mid-August. My Mom is now alone for the first time in about 30 years. We have been navigating through so many details and she decided that a move closer to us would be best… it has all happened so quickly and over the next couple of days, the POD will be delivered, the movers will arrive and we’ll start a new chapter with Mom here in Bluffton.

There’s a flood of feelings… I’m nervous for her, I’m excited, I’m sad for her just because I’m sentimental and it’s been her home for a long time… and like Red says at the end of “Shawshank Redemption”, “I hope…”. I hope this is healing for my Mom. I hope she likes our area as much as I think she will. I hope she makes new friends quickly. I hope we can create beautiful new memories together. I hope…

A new chapter. Just part of the story of our lives. Unexpected twists and turns; closed doors replaced by open doors; beauty found in heartbreak; new beginnings; new joys… may whatever chapter you are “writing” now be filled with courage, acceptance, love and hope… always hope.